HIPAA Release
One of the reasons estate planning is so important is that estate planning tools can be used to protect you and your loved ones from difficulties and traumatic experiences during your lifetime in ways you might not expect. Many critical aspects of estate planning involve means to assist with your medical and health care needs, and for that reason, they are important at every stage of life.
Every adult should have a HIPAA release authorization prepared in case of emergencies. At Jones Law, we tailor these documents to your specific desires so that in an emergency situation, the individuals you have chosen will have access to critical information.
What is a HIPAA Release?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, generally referred to as HIPAA, is a federal law that created several strict universal privacy protections. While these protections are important for respecting confidentiality concerns of for patients, they can also cause serious problems. The federal rules prohibit hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, and others in the health care business from sharing information without express authorization. The difficulty is that it is not always possible to obtain authorization in an emergency medical situation.
A HIPAA release is a document that enables health care providers and insurance companies to provide information and discuss critical issues with those who have been named in the authorization document.
Why a HIPAA Release is Important
If you were in an accident or suddenly struck ill, HIPAA privacy rules prevent hospitals and doctors from telling your loved ones about your condition and your needs. Your significant other, friends, and family might not even be able to find out what hospital you are at. If you are unconscious, you cannot provide the authorization required by law. However, if you have a HIPAA release prepared, that authorization is already available. Doctors will be able to tell loved ones about your condition and treatment.
HIPAA releases can be very helpful for young adults who are still covered by their parents’ insurance plans and any adults who need help understanding insurance issues. A HIPPA release can be tailored to allow a parent to help with insurance for a college student, for instance, or to enable a friend or family member to talk to providers to gain an understanding of procedures that are covered under a patient’s plan.
Many people sign HIPAA release forms at their doctors’ offices, but those forms are usually very limited in scope and duration. They only authorize sharing by one provider and do not help if a patient is transferred to another facility or needs additional care. A universal HIPAA authorization prepared by an attorney provides access in a wide range of situations.
Jones Law Customizes HIPAA Releases to Your Specific Preferences
Executing a HIPAA release does not require you to share confidential information with everyone. You can choose who you want to authorize and limit their access to information, if necessary. For instance, a young adult might authorize doctors to share details with a sibling, or their significant other or best friend while restricting the information made available to parents to more basic data.
HIPAA Release Coordinates Well with Other Health Care Documents
As part of a comprehensive estate plan, the team at Jones Law prepares not only universal HIPAA releases but also other critical health care documents such as a medical powers of attorney and living wills. A medical power of attorney, also known as a health care power of attorney or health care proxy, is a document that authorizes someone to make medical care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to communicate, such as if you were unconscious due to an accident. When you have a medical power of attorney and a HIPAA release, you ensure that your designated agent has authority to talk to medical providers about your condition so they can make the right informed decisions without unnecessary delays.
A living will is a document that allows you to describe your preference for treatment in certain situations when you are incapacitated and unable to speak for yourself. If doctors ever needed to follow instructions in this document, they could explain the impact and care decisions to those you have authorized in your HIPAA release.
Jones Law Keeps You Prepared for the Unknowns of the Future
While we tend to think of estate planning and health care needs as a topic we can put off until we are “older,” the fact is that an emergency can strike at any age and it is important to be prepared. All adults should have a universal HIPAA release prepared once they turn 18, and this document should be updated regularly to ensure that the right people have access to health care information in time of need.
The team at Jones Law can tailor a HIPAA release to your unique preferences to maintain privacy while providing for the necessary access and assistance in case of emergency. Schedule a consultation today to get the right protection for yourself and your family.